I usually try not to post about USCF politics on this blog but it is important for all USCF members to know the truth.
January 16, 2008
I was elected to make a difference in the USCF and US Chess. I do not want to waste any more time on the ongoing, ridiculous issues that are being played out in the media. I have a few comments about the current problems.
First, there has been much misinformation and many false rumors circulated. If the USCF board continues to pursue this obvious witch hunt, wasting hundreds of thousands of dollars that the USCF does not have, USCF members are entitled to know about it. I recommend a policy of open information if this continues.
For instance, we have requested the same access to the USCF database as the contractors so that our own experts can examine the validity of the data as well as matching IPs of suspicious posters. We were told we could not have that access. Also, we have pointed out a handful of suspicious handles and postings directly related to this case to the attorney and other board members. We asked them to investigate. This request, and others, have been ignored or denied. These two points have been misrepresented in the media, and ultimately do USCF and US Chess harm.
If the members of this board are so sure of their actions, the 83,000 members of the USCF—because the board is merely a representation of the larger body—should have access to the correct information. The board and their attorney(s) should consent to and authorize all correspondence in the confidential BINFO from August 2007 be released to the public. This should include the correspondence of all seven board members, the ED, the attorneys, and all parties relating to this case.
In addition, please grant us consent and immunity to release all information and board member correspondence and NDAs related to this case. . We recommend that all confidentiality clauses are waived in order to make the case clear and in order to expedite its conclusion. We propose to show all USCF members any evidence we have of who leaked what to whom, who made what deals under the table and for what reasons, etc. We give consent to the board and their attorneys to publish all information they have about us relating to this case. Everyone can then decide who is clean and who is not.
Every board starts with big hopes and dreams and usually ends with one problem or another, unfortunately. The same destructive political chess games have been played for years. It is the USCF members who lose.
Whoever has the majority votes will decide how the political games are being played instead of focusing on what is best for the USCF. This is the long pattern of destructive politics that no one has been able to fix so far. These problems have hindered the proper growth of chess within the USCF for decades. This is how so much money has been wasted and the financial situation of the USCF has gone down the drain.
No one wants to talk about how much money this federation has wasted in the past 12-24 months alone. If we want to let the sunshine in, it has to be done across the board and not selectively to harm people who oppose the majority and the status quo. GM Larry Evans had the same experience when he wanted to be involved. So did GM Lev Alburt, GM Yasser Seirawan and many others. The same thing will happen to the next people who want to run and help the USCF. The sad truth is that before my husband and I ran for the executive board we were told that we better have good lawyers. Now we understand why.
As far as I am concerned, this matter ends unless everything can be opened up for all members to examine. I highly doubt that the board majority will agree to this. I can only hope. We have wasted enough time, money and energy on this. I will now devote my time and energy to promoting U.S. chess. That is why I was elected.
Here is a reminder:
“USCF is a not-for-profit membership organization devoted to extending the role of chess in American society.
USCF promotes the study and knowledge of the game of chess, for its own sake as an art and enjoyment, but also as a means for the improvement of society. It informs, educates, and fosters the development of players (professional and amateur) and potential players. It encourages the development of a network of institutions devoted to enhancing the growth of chess, from local clubs to state and regional associations, and it promotes chess in American schools.”
This will be my last statement about this issue.
Yours for the USCF,
Susan Polgar
Yeah, they’re paying more than $400 an hour to help a convicted felon. Nice! Bill Goichberg went after GM Larry Evans the same way and after when it was proven that he was wrong, he refused to apologize to GM Evans. He also never reimbursed the money the USCF wasted for his witch hunt.
This interesting post uses the words “we” and “they” a lot, but without antecedents. At the risk of seeming naive, who are “we” and “they”?
Anon 5:49, we think alike.
For starters, who are the “we” and “they” mentioned several times each in the original post?
Sorry Susan but you’ll never be able to fix the problems of the USCF as long as Billy is on the board. No one can.
If Bill and the gang are not behind this ugly mess then they should consent to open everything.
I would like to know how much money has been spent on this absurd matter and will Bill Goichberg reimburse the USCF for all of it?
I hope this will go on for the next 5 years so the USCF can be gone forever. We need a new federation without Goichberg, Sloan and all the other loonies.
Shut down the USCF. It has become irrelevant.
The SPICE thing has gone quiet too – are you and Paul still working there?
A convicted felon by the name of Sam Sloan has sued the USCF over and over in the past. He is now suing this board and the United States of America.
The USCF President Bill Goichberg has a habit of using USCF money to investigate GMs and spilling out information to his friends.
I think this is what Susan is talking about. She’s sick and tired of dealing with these bozos. Maybe I’m wrong.
You know that this will happen to you and everyone who stands up against these guys. Make sure you have great lawyers and go after them. This is the only way to end it.
The problem with the USCF is simple; they are by nature a planned economy. The tournaments are planned by a central committee, the ratings are determined by an elite group bent on controlling the inflation and deflation of the ratings, the flow of the media is controlled and monitored, the chain of authority is regulated with political officers. When reading Marxism during my college years, would have to say the past state of the USCF and its current state is by a political term closes to being a proletariat than by any other political system.
Having the USCF open its books, have an open door policy, join the free market system, allowing political descent as you have been in my judgment been an advocate: is in my judgment is a free trader and a mirror on western culture. If I had to define you with a political leader that is understood in the west, would have to mirror you closer to being like Boris Yeltsin (1931 – 2007
I knew this would happen when Goichberg sent out thousands of malicious post cards to defame you and Paul during the election. I’ll never vote for anyone he endorses.
The suggestion is that someone has been playing the ‘no-one knows your a dog’ web-communications game somewhat deceptively in pursuit of a place on the USCF board, and that the evidence is unforgeably to be found in the USCF databases.
I see nothing wrong with an independent expert investigating this and coming to some conclusion.
Their independence, expertise, data and logic can all be challenged in court by Susan and Paul if they don’t like that expert’s conclusions.
PS: I am not a dog
It’s a serious conflict of interest to be the President of CCA and the USCF.
anos one 549 and two 550.. this issue has been around for a long time it is impossible to play dumb..
sounds like you two are cohort sam sloan posters..
uscf is run by leeches who look after their interests.. and scapegoat people with good intentions..
if i were susan and paul i would leave uscf to the leeches, pedophiles and faggots who inhabit sam sloan’s aol group.
let us see what they can do.
Let me see if I can sum it up for those who are not familiar with the story.
Last year, Sam Sloan, a convicted felon was elected to the USCF Executive Board because Goichberg’s political opponents wanted to get back at him for years of pissing people off.
Susan and Paul opposed Sam Sloan and ran for the board to throw him out. Goichberg wanted his own puppets to be elected so he was against Susan and Paul. He wanted to keep the power. Goichberg sent out thousands of vindictive post cards. It didn’t work
Susan won by a big margin and Paul was also elected. Goichberg became angry that his guys didn’t win. Sloan is angry because he’s once again a total loser.
So Sloan decided to sue everyone including God. The judge will throw the case out soon. Goichberg has a history of going after his opponents. Some years ago, he used USCF money to go after GM Larry Evans and others.
Goichberg and Sloan both want Susan and Paul off the board for their own selfish reasons.
Susan and Paul vowed to clean up the politics. So Goichberg and Sloan are going after them.
Unless Susan and Paul succeed in fighting back, the USCF is doomed under Goichberg.
Anon 7:01 — you do no one any favors by assuming and blindly insulting. You might be amazed at what I don’t know.
Deaf and dumb — thanks for your lucid explanation, all of which makes a lot of sense. I’d like to see Susan be more explicit, though.
Thanks Dead and Dumb. Now it makes a lot of sense. What is this about Goichberg investigating Larry Evans? Did the USCF make him pay back the cost of the investigation?
I have to admit, Susan, your post didn’t make any sense. I understand that because you are in the thick of things, you may believe everyone knows what’s going on… we don’t.
And that’s how Sloan got elected originally, many of us chess players didn’t know what he was.. we’re just interested in playing chess.
Anyway, I agree with the above, more lucidity is needed to explain your ideas to people.
Bravo Susan! Don’t give up! The USCF members need you. Can we start a recall on Goichberg?
I think Dumb and Deaf did a great job summarizing it.
If Goichberg and his sub-committee have nothing to hide, why not agree to it? Obviously because he has a long history of leaking stuff out to Hanken and company.
Why didn’t Goichberg go out of his way to remove the convicted felon Sam Sloan last year?
Keep your head high Susan! You and Paul are doing a fantastic job promoting chess!
One day you will be running your own chess federation!
The USCF under Goichberg is like a Mafia operation. Anyone who goes against him will be destroyed.
I vote to change the name of the Olympic Chess Mascot from Chessy to Goichi. Goichi makes a better foolish cartoon character than Chessy: http://photos1.blogger.com/photoInclude/blogger/1741/1141/1024/Dresden%202%20055.jpg
We want full transparency. We want to see all the correspondence of the subcommittee. If they can’t show it then go pick on someone else. I think Polgar just checkmated them. They know they can’t show it because of the illegal stuff behind the scene.
If the other board members didn’t do any hanky panky, they should agree to open up everything. Otherwise, there will always be doubts. Good idea to open everything up.
How about team Polgar / Truong / Channing against Goichberg / Bauer / Hough / Berry in a 4-game chess match? The losing team will resign from the board.
The issue is discussed in the NYTimes:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/15/crosswords/chess/15chess.html?_r=1&oref
It was also discussed extensively in Mig’s blog in October:
http://www.chessninja.com/dailydirt
and
http://www.chessninja.com/dailydirt/2007/10/on_the_road_again.htm#comments
There’s little chance that this post will last longer than a few minutes (after all, it is not “rudeness” that earns the censor’s axe here, it is disagreement), so if you do see these posts and are interested at all in the “issues”, cut-and-paste the links or read very quickly.
Yeah, and Mig confirmed that they could not have done it. So it means that they’re being set up. That’s why it’s important for the board to open up all correspondence. If the board refuses, it means that they’re up to no good.
This entire affair is the working of the old Russian chess-mob that still actively pursues unsettling any/all potential competitors.
This is truly a lose-lose situation.
Think about it.
*Anonymous said…
Yeah, and Mig confirmed that they could not have done it. So it means that they’re being set up. That’s why it’s important for the board to open up all correspondence. If the board refuses, it means that they’re up to no good.*
They do not want to expose the real “hit-man” behind the posts because the “hit-man” was trying to hurt Truong/Polgar because he has a personal stake in the matter.
Goichi and company thought that using the “hit-man” would keep their hands clean and remove Polgar/Truong from the EB. When that plan didn’t work then they got Mottershead to pin the FSS job on Paul Truong. Isn’t it intersting that the Fake Sam Sloan appears right after Polgar’s divorce?
I find it interesting that “hit-man” rhymes with ….
😉
Also,
It appears that someone has been Cyber stalking GM Polgar.
But no one can hide from the angry celery stick! No one!
I leave a gift of knowledge and good tidings! Please notice the multiple references to the “hit-man” in the listed threads.
http://www.aolstalker.com/5493862.html
This has Goichberg’s finger prints all over it. This is precisely the reason why he has so many enemies. He rather sinks the entire federation than to admit that he screwed up again.
I’m sick of how the uscf keeps on wasting money for stupidity. The members didn’t elect eb members so that they can investigate their opponents.
I will second (and third and fourth…) the comments of previous posters on this thread and request that in the future, when Susan informs us of her position on various issues, that she be a bit more explicit in her explanation. I carefully read her statement and could not deduce what it was about.
So, Susan, when making ‘position statements’ please assume your readers are learning of the issue at hand for the first time and provide a few paragraphs of background, giving the positions of the principal actors.
Thank you, and thank you to those posters above who clarified.
Brad Hoehne
Brad Hoehne,
Why not just read the thread? Your question was answered by a poster named “Dumb and Deaf”.
Ironic, no?
Uncle Fester,
That’s all fine and good, and yes, Deaf and Dumb’s post was interesting. But D&D doesn’t speak for Susan. I’d prefer to hear the words directly from her.
“I’d prefer to hear the words directly from her.”
…and people in hell prefer icewater.
Read Susan’s earlier statements in her blog were she clearly states her position on these matters.
She has no time to give you a “personal” update. It is unfair to demand personal clarifications when she is busy with 100 other things. Be realistic.
JK said…
If Bill and the gang are not behind this ugly mess then they should consent to open everything.
What ugly mess? The statement doesn’t explain what ugly mess it’s talking about.
It doesn’t name Goichberg either. I think you’re reading in your own agenda. Frankly, if we can’t even know what this statement is saying without having to guess, then it couldn’t have been worth saying, whatever it was.
First of all, Mr. JK, or should I say Mr. Laffertini?, that anyone who has to ask for specifics in this case are either hideously uneducated in this matter or they are trolls. Goichi has been told by his counsel to shut-up until the case is closed. Randy Bauer is a Goichberg hand puppet.
Bauer’s NYT statements may cost him, the group of 4 EB members against Polgar, and other attackers dearly. This public behavior clearly demonstrates a prejudice. This is harrassment of the worst kind.
People like you wish to come in here and fein ignorance of the case just to discredit GM Polgar.
You are monster who needs to slide back into its slimy pit.
Troll.
Apologies to JK.
The message was for Cowardly anonymous troll.
Grundy
Leave this blog Lafferty!
You and your ilk are not welcome!
Wow! Bauer gets his hands caught in the cookie jar and mr. anonymous poster starts his Sam Sloan like diatribe to discredit Polgar/Truong.
You know you guys are going to lose? Evil never wins. In the end truth will win!
Sam Sloan! I have always dreamt of meeting you in person! I have an indecent proposal for you! But unfortunatley you will be on bottom this time.
Susan:
I do not think it is right for you to talk about USCF affairs in your personal public blogsite, especially because you are an important office bearer.
Anonymous said…
“Susan:
I do not think it is right for you to talk about USCF affairs in your personal public blogsite, especially because you are an important office bearer.”
What is good for the goose is good for the gander!
They started this fight! GM Polgar will finish it with 10/0 results!
anyone who has to ask for specifics in this case are either hideously uneducated in this matter or they are trolls
GTTE —
Color me hideously uneducated. Why do you assume that everybody knows what you know?
“Color me hideously uneducated. Why do you assume that everybody knows what you know?”
You know what they say about the word ASSUME. It makes an ASS out of U and ME.
GM Polgar is under attack from web villans. Her supporters know the full story. Here is your update because you are civil:
Last year, Sam Sloan, a convicted felon was elected to the USCF Executive Board because Goichberg’s political opponents wanted to get back at him for years of pissing people off.
Susan and Paul opposed Sam Sloan and ran for the board to throw him out. Goichberg wanted his own puppets to be elected so he was against Susan and Paul. He wanted to keep the power. Goichberg sent out thousands of vindictive post cards. It didn’t work
Susan won by a big margin and Paul was also elected. Goichberg became angry that his guys didn’t win. Sloan is angry because he’s once again a total loser.
So Sloan decided to sue everyone including God. The judge will throw the case out soon. Goichberg has a history of going after his opponents. Some years ago, he used USCF money to go after GM Larry Evans and others.
Goichberg and Sloan both want Susan and Paul off the board for their own selfish reasons.
Susan and Paul vowed to clean up the politics. So Goichberg and Sloan are going after them.
Unless Susan and Paul succeed in fighting back, the USCF is doomed under Goichberg.
Thank you, GTTE. I haven’t been a member of the USCF for many years and am not au courant on the politics of the organization.